Two hundred opponents of Israel’s planned Gaza Strip evacuation stole into the coastal strip overnight in defiance of a military ban, even as security forces blocked thousands of protesters from marching into Gaza to bolster settler resistance to the withdrawal.

Some 20,000 police and soldiers were deployed in southern Israel today to block what was billed as the biggest march yet of Gaza withdrawal opponents – a crucial test run for security forces and protesters ahead of the August pullout.

The Israeli police are to issue a guide to civilians on how to detect suicide bombers.